From East (PIT / NYG / DC) to West (SF), North (MIN / GB) to South (ATL), the landscape has been littered with some unexpectedly trashy play as NFL‘13 approaches quarter pole.

Most the litter-bugs reside in the National but don’t be singing American praises too loudly. Besides the Broncos, Patriots’ 3-0 mark and upstart Chiefs & Dolphins (who could fall like soufflés), AFC has had its share of sloppy ball in early going.

The darlings of Denver were the popular pre-season pick to represent junior conference next February. They’re meeting expectations, and then some.

If you’re one of those guys who fell head-over-heels for flash QB, thinking the running man’s athleticism and fleeting brilliance presaged a cultural revolution in the NFL that spelled doom for Mr. Pocket Passer, you can come out from under the covers now.

As long as college coaches keep substituting run-QB in place of devising real offensive game-plans, and getting some pretty nifty results in the process (Young / Newton / Tebow / Manziel), the rebirth of the old single-wing (ball-hog) tailback will live on.

Just don’t expect Mr. Athletic to catch-on big in the pro game (the disconnect), where the idiom, ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me (and I’m out of a job)’ is etched on every OC’s mind.

The record to WK4: Kaep crams to catch up on D-read, former fleet-of-foot RG3 ain’t the same, Tebow & Young are outta’ the game and injury-plagued Michael hangs on.

The savvy GM (and draft prognosticator) will dig deeper in future NFL draft pools for the vanishing breed of pocket passer, preferably with mobility, rather than spend a high-RD pick on another run-QB development project, whose ‘athleticism’ won’t set him apart in a business where prevalence of speed is matched by strength and football smarts.

Battle of jugger-nots. One national power-ranking puts Vikes 24, Pitt 26, another, PIT 25, MIN 30. I rank PRs down there with mock-drafts, Smith & Skip (ESPN) and old milk: you know it‘s bad, but when it’s in your face you gotta check it out. As both gurus struggle in the O-scheme, this one turns on Big Ben’s field tactics (TDs & TOs (4/Wk3)) and Vikings’ D. Even with steals up (6-I) and Cassel (?) calling, as long as Vikes coddle QBs (3S / Allen 1), Steelers ‘play a blinder’ and prevail across the pond.

“Now, this is not the end,” but maybe “the beginning of the end (Churchill on El Alamein ‘42).” Quote-mix from one of London’s finest, during this week of trans-Atlantic football fandom. If WC were alive today (1874-65) and an NFL devotee (“Onslow“ of KUA is a Packers‘ fan), he too might acknowledge the early ebb of gridiron’s greatest dynasty since Walsh & Seifert (SF). Brady, Belichick & Mayo are still bueno but starting to lose aura of invincibility. A-birds bunged-up (Steven & Roddy) but have covered admirably, in spite. Ryan, Osi, R-Mac & air-corps need “their finest hour” as foe flawed but formidable. Atlanta wins this battle.

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Written by Steven Keys
A native of the old Northwest Territory (IL), my wife and I have lived in four Midwestern states and Arizona. Today we live in Duluth, Georgia. I have a history / legal background.